Canada-India

The governments of Canada and India are negotiating a ‘Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement’ which they seek to conclude in 2013. By May 2012, five rounds of negotiations had taken place. This agreement is wideranging and negotiations have included rules of origin, trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and trade in services, including temporary entry for business persons, telecommunications, and financial services. According to unnamed official sources, India is likely to exclude an investor-state dispute clause in its FTAs.

last update: May 2012

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After a gap of more than two years, India and Canada will resume formal negotiations this week for a free trade agreement (FTA) in goods and services, while talks on a bilateral investment agreement are being handled separately

Canada is throwing its weight behind an early “progressive” bilateral investment treaty with India before it concludes a bilateral free trade agreement to ensure a stable and predictable environment for its investors.

A successful conclusion of FIPA will provide a much-needed cover for Canadian investments in India and vice versa, and is expected to be an important catalyst in translating the announcements into reality.

On Canada’s insistance, India is expected to sign a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with Canada based on an old text, not its new model BIT. The old text contains contentious provisions such as the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

The proposed free trade agreement between India and Canada, which aims to reduce or eliminate duties on a large number of products traded between the two nations, is likely to be concluded by March next year, a senior official told PTI.

As governments in Canada and India herald their progress on a free trade agreement, promising to have it worked out by September, opponents from both countries are preparing to unite in their efforts to stop the deal.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to visit Canada in April this year, the commerce and industry ministry has expedited the work on firming up the framework for the proposed free trade agreement with the country.

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